Square Enix is a company that has gone through many ups and downs since it became a massive presence in the video game industry. Square Enix experiments with both their Japanese and Western IPs, which have been pretty notable in one way or another, even if the results have not been up to par at times. Regardless, no one can question just how big this publisher is, with their library of developed games being pretty massive indeed.
Square Enix’s Best Remastered Collections
Square Enix does a decent job of preserving its many legendary franchises for future generations of gamers to enjoy, as evidenced by these remasters.
Many Square Enix titles take many hours to complete. These games take players on grand adventures in emotional plots that will keep them occupied for the long haul. JRPGs are the most obvious candidate in this regard, even if there are several other genres that Square Enix has dabbled in extensively.
Updated on June 5, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Square Enix is a company with a rather wavering reputation in the industry. However, despite their foray into international gaming not exactly working out, players were still more than happy to see that their efforts to develop amazing JRPGs and other such titles continue to hold strong to this day. Players looking for lengthy gaming experiences will love what this publisher brings to the table, letting players enjoy a wealth of quality titles that players will want to see to the very end despite these games having some massive runtimes that can be hard to digest for fans from the outside looking in.
10 Final Fantasy 10
66 Hours
After the advent of the sixth generation of gaming consoles, it was clear that Squaresoft had to come out with a bang to make a resounding impact on this console. The trilogy of games on the original PlayStation games was all well and good, but there needed to be a notable upgrade now.
Thankfully, the company got the memo and released the legendary title, Final Fantasy 10. The game is simply phenomenal, and many people consider it to be the last classic Final Fantasy series before the series started evolving for good.
9 Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time
66 Hours
Star Ocean is a long-running classic JRPG series that not many players have heard of, which is a shame. Despite having some flaws of its own, Star Ocean features some great games with classic turn-based gameplay that can be quite engaging to get through.
One such title is Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, a game that was initially panned by many players for its wealth of bugs. However, after all these issues were ironed out, many players warmed up to the title, with its sci-fi trappings working pretty well.
8 Bravely Default
73 Hours
As the name would suggest, Bravely Default is a game that harkens back to the golden age of JRPGs. The plot initially seems rather small in scale until the threats keep on increasing to the point where players have to fight what is basically a god.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Tier List
The first six Final Fantasy games included in the Pixel Remaster series represent both the highs and lows of the franchise's distant youth.
Bravely Default's job system and classic gameplay make it an easy title to enjoy for any JRPG fan. The lengthy playthrough is perfectly in line with the games from this genre and will keep players invested throughout this run.
7 Octopath Traveler
77 Hours
The HD-2D art style is the first thing players noticed about Octopath Traveler, which was poised to become one of the best nostalgic experiences fans could subject themselves to. Despite a rather rote and uninteresting structure that took away from the strengths of this title, Octopath Traveler's execution of classic concepts made it a blast to play through in the eyes of many.
The sheer amount of main and side content present in this title is truly mind-blowing, with the superboss gating the way to the real ending which was viewed as a rather bold move in the eyes of many. Players can easily spend 70+ hours if do a chunk of the main content, and this time can stretch to the hundreds if they aim for 100% completion.
6 Octopath Traveler 2
79 Hours
Octopath Traveler is a game that brought many new ideas to the table and looked pretty gorgeous to boot. However, the disconnected storylines were a huge negative, and many players weren't able to get into this title properly as a result.
So, fans were glad to see that Octopath Traveler 2 addressed this universal complaint while improving the gameplay in many other departments. It's a fantastic modern title that fans of the genre simply have to check out for themselves.
5 The Last Remnant
81 Hours
The Last Remnant is a pretty unique title that players should check out if they like out-of-the-box JRPGs. The game's battle system may feel a bit too on-rails at times, but it does a great job of conveying the large scale of the battles that players engage in.
With a great story and unique gameplay, The Last Remnant is definitely a hidden gem that deserves more attention. The remastered version of this title takes care of any graphical issues that plagued the original release, making this game even more enjoyable now.
4 Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
85 Hours
Dragon Quest 11 definitively burst onto the scene with its latest entry, modernizing the title and making it one of the most accessible titles in the genre by far. This franchise is considered to be just as legendary as Final Fantasy but never managed to attain the fan following in the West that it deserved.
Square Enix Games That Failed To Find An Audience
These Square Enix games, for varying reasons, failed to find an audience that could sustain them.
With the game releasing on all major platforms, players could finally get into this series and understand the hype behind it. Echoes of an Elusive Age's striking world, tight combat, and effective storytelling make it one of the best JRPGs of the modern era by a country mile.
3 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
88 Hours
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
- Released
- February 29, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The Final Fantasy 7 modern trilogy elicits a ton of mixed reactions from fans, with the decision to stretch out the Midgar section of the game for the first entry being a rather contentious decision that a lot of fans may not have necessarily agreed with. Still, this didn't mean that fans weren't looking forward to what Rebirth brought to the table, and Square Enix didn't disappoint.
Featuring a wealth of amazing additions to the game coupled with the faithful recreation of classic moments in the title make it an easy pick for any Final Fantasy fan. The fact that a bunch of the game's most memorable moments are essentially side-content means that players will be more than inclined towards spending close to 90 hours exploring everything this game has to offer, if not more.
2 Final Fantasy 12
92.5 Hours
Final Fantasy 12 marked a massive shift in the franchise, clearly inspired by the innovations made in the 11th mainline entry. Gone was the turn-based combat of this series, replaced with an MMO-lite system that made the most of its single-player trappings to make for an engaging title.
The combat can feel a bit slow at times and the story may not be as engaging as past games in the series, but Final Fantasy 12 is still pretty special when it clicks for fans. The Zodiac Age is a great upgrade that gives players more things to do while also adding several quality-of-life fixes to make this game easier to get through.
1 Dragon Quest 7: Fragments Of The Forgotten Past
140 Hours
A game so massive that its updated re-release reduced the grinding massively, Dragon Quest 7 is another great title in the long-running series that players can enjoy on the 3DS. This is recommended because of how taxing the original PlayStation version can be.
The fact that the remaster slashes 50 hours from an average playthrough of the game is proof enough of how lengthy this game can be. The combat system might be fun, but that doesn't justify the immense grind present in the base game at all.
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